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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsIt begans.... Truckers To Shut Down America
"a major shut down of America in a 3 day strike October 11th thru 13th."
apparently a 3 day convoy to DC.
Remember when this happened in other countries???
Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/truckerstoshutdownamerica?ref=stream
This will spread. More and more "going dark" days will be called for.
Did anyone notice the "dark" web pages on 9-11?
A disturbance in the force, there is.......
Response to dixiegrrrrl (Original post)
truebluegreen This message was self-deleted by its author.
markpkessinger
(8,392 posts). . . They aren't exactly what you might think. This is the text of a status update on the page from earlier today:
15 hours ago
My fellow Patriot this effort is to support the truckers in a major shut down of America ion a 3 day strike October 11th thru 13th. Obamacare will be in effect and most people will be ready to take action. No commerce on those days stock up on items that you will need. No banking no shopping no money transactions. It does not matter If a million or 50 roll through DC in this effort. Congress will listen to We The People. Which is remove Obama from office for crimes of treason and misdemeanors. We want Congressional hearing on Benghazi and Seal Team 6. Louis Learner put in jail. No amnesty, remove all Muslims in our government that do not uphold the Constitution. Remove Eric Holder from office for crimes against the people and the Constitution. Last but not least is Fuel prices.
truebluegreen
(9,033 posts)flt rsk
(92 posts)to rebuild the railroads. They can haul freight cheaper than trucks, reduce highway traffic, save wear and tear on the roads, and not scare the crap out of my wife when all she all can see in her rearview mirror is the bumper of a truck.
Iris
(15,648 posts)Brickbat
(19,339 posts)M'kay.
notadmblnd
(23,720 posts)Brickbat
(19,339 posts)Brickbat
(19,339 posts)Seal Team 6, IRS, Non Americans in government office like Homeland Security, fuel, and anything else you can think of. This country will soon be torn apart terrorism so you won't have to worry about going to work."
Jeez, you guys, why not use that power to agitate for better hours and wages? Instead of, you know, blargle?
sufrommich
(22,871 posts)MelungeonWoman
(502 posts)MynameisBlarney
(2,979 posts)*muslin*
George II
(67,782 posts)A HERETIC I AM
(24,360 posts)Just looked over the linked Facebook page in more depth.
Best quote I saw?
"Brought to you by Low Information Voters".
Ain't that the truth.
That page looks as if it has been put up by a typical, Rush Limbaugh listening steering wheel jockey with no capacity for critical thinking.
Lifelong Dem
(344 posts)Should be a joke.
Brickbat
(19,339 posts)another_liberal
(8,821 posts)No pubic option! Save my Medicare from Socialist Medicine.
(What a crock of horseshit!)
another_liberal
(8,821 posts)What a load of crap.
lumberjack_jeff
(33,224 posts)Jack Rabbit
(45,984 posts)demosincebirth
(12,529 posts)George II
(67,782 posts)GreenStormCloud
(12,072 posts)JI7
(89,239 posts)jberryhill
(62,444 posts)Do you remember when it happened in this country, several times, in the 1970's?
Do you remember when it happened in this country in 1999?
Odds are that you don't, and neither does most anyone else.
Brickbat
(19,339 posts)I didn't, no.
hootinholler
(26,449 posts)But that was localized over poor road conditions. The Interstate was literally breaking suspensions on big rigs. This was in the mid 70's.
dixiegrrrrl
(60,010 posts)I was pointing to the most recent truckers/farmers with big equipment protesting,
since, like you, I figured going back to 1999 would be too far of a reache for a lot of folks.
wercal
(1,370 posts)I was driving across the country, and got caught up for hours in a parade of trucks going 10 mph.
1monster
(11,012 posts)One of my neighbors was an independent trucker. He was doing a run of emergency medical supplies during the strike and was shot at. Things were very tense for a while, and there wasn't a whole of of food available in the grocery stores. For whatever reason, ever after, people who lived through that always stock up on toilt paper when there is a predicted calamity of one sort or another.
marmar
(77,049 posts)nadinbrzezinski
(154,021 posts)A HERETIC I AM
(24,360 posts)It will have little to no effect.
It might make news, and there is no doubt in my mind that a nationwide truckers strike is long overdue, but the participation would need to be up there, and I'm talking 50% or better for this to have any real effect, and it won't come close.
Trying to get this nations truck drivers to agree on anything is, as the saying goes, like trying to herd cats. Entirely too many live paycheck to paycheck or damned close (like me) and can not afford to take time off.
Even if this was a Teamster organized event, the number of unionized drivers these days is tiny compared to what it was 30 years ago. The overwhelming majority of truck drivers in this country have no union representation and are therefore "At-Will" employees.
You aren't going to get ten million drivers, or even 5 million to stop working because of a Facebook page.
It won't happen.
Link Speed
(650 posts)There is no Cesar Chavez here. Truckers are about as independent as it gets, like cowboys.
nadinbrzezinski
(154,021 posts)Cats are easier to organize
dmr
(28,344 posts)I agree with you about the truckers not participating. Why would they? The protest doesn't help them or their families, and the fuel costs alone would eat into their pocketbook, let alone their livelihood.
If this is astroturfed, some who participate will not suffer much retaliation, if any. They'll probably pay some truckers to convoy - just like they've bussed people in for town hall meetings and various rallies.
Just from looking at their Facebook page, they sound like the House Republicans - who we know are pretty much bought and paid for by Big Corporate Money.
The Big Money leads an astroturf 'grassroot' convoy on FB, which plays in to the fears/desires of the right wing nut-jobs and racists - who then turn into followers of the Big Money astroturf 'grassroot' convoy.
Fox News will do it's part to play it up, and it will be used as justification for more House repeal attempts, and an iconic talking point for the 2014 election. Sick, isn't it?
(I have a strange desire to look up Kris Kristopherson. :sigh: )
A HERETIC I AM
(24,360 posts)for the first time in years.
It became clear to me once again what a god damned stupid movie that was.
But it did two things;
1) Sold a SHITLOAD of Citizen Band Radios
2) Turned the phrase "Good Buddy" into a pejorative among truck drivers.
How much is astroturfed?
My bet is damned little. I guessing this is one nitwit, as I have said in other posts, that gets all his news from the radio as he drives across the country and gets it all reaffirmed for him at the counter in the Petro restaurant.
4200 likes so far, but just watch - 10 participants.
And one of them will hit a bridge in the DC area, I'm betting.
LuvNewcastle
(16,834 posts)That whole craze with the movie and the stupid song was, I think, the beginning of the brain-dead, mindless period of American culture, and we've never come out of it. It's like we're in a coma having trashy dreams.
derby378
(30,252 posts)Yeah, these anti-Obamacare truckers are goofballs, but the social dynamic is still the same although the tools have changed.
Art_from_Ark
(27,247 posts)as stupid as the song "Convoy"?
A HERETIC I AM
(24,360 posts)The movie was BASED on the song!
So yeah...it was stupid.
nashville_brook
(20,958 posts)"i know, let's start a facebook page!"
"i'll get an intern on it -- on my action items list."
sufrommich
(22,871 posts)protesting Obama care with threats to "take back our country" and arrest Obama for treason??? No thanks.
icymist
(15,888 posts)Good idea to read what's in the link first before commenting!
sufrommich
(22,871 posts)dgibby
(9,474 posts)because I think it's important for others to see them before they drop off the radar. It doesn't mean I agree with or like the content. an I doubt I'm the only one who does this, so I don't think a high rec count means that people agree.
dixiegrrrrl
(60,010 posts)on the threory that it would be pretty bland if only one side of information was allowed to be posted.
why...in fact....that would be almost like...censorship.
dgibby
(9,474 posts)snappyturtle
(14,656 posts)sides of an issue.
Mnemosyne
(21,363 posts)Jefferson23
(30,099 posts)office and do not uphold the constitution??
Good grief.
Thanks for the heads up on this.
brooklynite
(94,302 posts)I'll believe it when I see it.
(nb - a Facebook page? Now I'm really scared...)
HappyMe
(20,277 posts)I didn't notice anything going dark on 9/11. This seems like a RW strike kind of thing, if it even gets off the ground.
Sunlei
(22,651 posts)RW has so much money they can pay 20-30 truckers to carry banners to washingtondc, heck they should buy us all a pony with their PAC billions
HappyMe
(20,277 posts)I don't know if they have the gumption to do this.
n2doc
(47,953 posts)Go ahead, fools. The rest of us will appreciate any extra space on the interstates. No one else is going to notice.
NightWatcher
(39,343 posts)Iris
(15,648 posts)Nicely done!
Pab Sungenis
(9,612 posts)...how?
A HERETIC I AM
(24,360 posts)It is one nitwit with a Facebook account trying to make himself feel important. It isn't terrorism, by any definition.
The originator of the page is clearly a nitwit, after reading just a few of his posts.
The type that gets all his news from Limbaugh, Hannity and the rest of right wing radio. I see and listen to them all the time in truck stops.
He sits in his truck all day listening to rich people telling him he should hate poor people and socialism, all the while having no idea what socialism is.
Pab Sungenis
(9,612 posts)how would it not be?
A HERETIC I AM
(24,360 posts)Last edited Mon Sep 16, 2013, 04:10 PM - Edit history (1)
Seems to me to be yet another in a long line of people who have been convinced they should be afraid of the scary brown president and "socialism".
I put up the following post on the page and it appears he blocked it;
Best of luck with this effort that will go precisely no where. If nothing else, it will allow the page originator to blow off some steam, I suppose.
This doesn't rise to the level of terrorism in the least.
It's the stupid rantings of a few nimrods, nothing else.
Edit to say he didn't block it, I was just looking in the wrong place!
TalkingDog
(9,001 posts)Terrorism? Seriously?
another_liberal
(8,821 posts)Good Grief!
Brickbat
(19,339 posts)Interesting.
LeftishBrit
(41,202 posts)if you are to call this 'terrorism', then you'd have to call all the strikes and shutdowns by workers fighting for better pay and conditions 'terrorism' as well. And that basically puts everyone back 100 years or so.
dixiegrrrrl
(60,010 posts)Talking about going on strike is terrorism?
Nuclear Unicorn
(19,497 posts)enough
(13,254 posts)dixiegrrrrl
(60,010 posts)but there have been rumors they were building up to it.
This appears to be one attempt.
NoOneMan
(4,795 posts)For a bit.
Sunlei
(22,651 posts)when I google 'Truckers To Shut Down America' the only promo I see is on conservative type blogs.
MH1
(17,573 posts)I don't know why anyone would rec this if they knew that, and why rec it without understanding what it's about?
The less visibility given to crap like this, the better.
Old and In the Way
(37,540 posts)They glommed on to the biker rally, like that was some partisan event...probably the Koch-Republican Party is trying to build a facade of non-existent support for their anti-Obamacare agenda.
Sunlei
(22,651 posts)FreakinDJ
(17,644 posts)When these fucktards see they don't have the support of the Working Class they'll start parking on bridges and slowing down highways to gain attention
Don't hesitate to use your phone to photo their DOT number and call the Highway Patrol
gopiscrap
(23,725 posts)cynatnite
(31,011 posts)I'm sure some will do this. No doubt about it, but it will not be enough to make a noticeable difference.
Husband has been a truck driver for many years now. It's how we live and breathe.
Many drivers can't go three days without driving. It's a significant blow to the paycheck. Not only that, for it to make a real difference you need thousands of drivers to descend on DC and that will not happen.
Don't get me wrong, I support truckers' rights all the way. I've always believed that in order for anything to really change in America, truck drivers shutting down for a day or two was the way to do it.
The reality is that it will not happen. Most can't afford it and those that could won't risk their loads. Also, the vast majority are company drivers whose jobs are on the line should they take that step. A few owner operators might do it, but most won't. It all boils down to money.
soryang
(3,299 posts)I've been on the road for seven years, I've rarely met a trucker that knew anything about anything except trucking. On policy issues they are illiterate for all practical purposes.
wandy
(3,539 posts)Ok, I'll grant that most places have only a three day supply of food and/or other things that come in by truck.
Have you ever ordered something from Amazon, NewEgg or similar on-line ordering?
Have you ever tracked an order?
Ever notice that where ever the truck stops Friday, it sits there until Monday.
Sounds typical teapublican to me. Make a lot of threating noise about doing something you normally do anyway.
Not that over the road truckers don't have plenty of good reason to take some action.
But Benghazi?
cynatnite
(31,011 posts)Husband has been driving for some time now and those crappy hours are a lot of what he does.
Trucks run all hours and all days. They run holidays as well.
Nothing significant will come of this.
wandy
(3,539 posts)on non premium shipping don't.
Trust me on this one. The customer with the hard drive on order usual thinks that 4 day shipping means 4 calender days, not 4 business days. Add to that this is the type would never dream of paying extra for premium or overnight.
Don't get me wrong. Thats a hard job. Doing something like this for better working conditions would be most understandable.
But Benghazi?
GOP.co talking points?
I hope these folk know who is NOT working in their best interests.
A HERETIC I AM
(24,360 posts)In what universe?
Do you actually think that most things moved by motor freight sit still for 48 hours every week?
The examples of shippers you give such as Amazon or Newegg are, for the most part, shipping what is known as "LTL" or "Less than a trailer load" freight, which is handled by a few firms you are I'm sure familiar with, the largest being UPS and the other FEDEX. There are several others that operate nationwide such as Yellow Roadway, and ABF but their core business is not items ordered online for home use. I'll give you that the 4 companies I mentioned above do not deliver on Sundays, typically.
If any of those trucks are sitting still for the weekend, it is the local delivery ones, not the 'road' trucks and they aren't just at some truck stop. They're at the terminal.
By and large, over-the-road trucking is a 24/7/365 business.
wandy
(3,539 posts)GreenStormCloud
(12,072 posts)Most of the big rigs you see are load with ONE load for ONE destination. You Amazon shipments are lots of little packages and are shipped by Less than Load carriers. The big rigs are OTR (Over the Road) and they do drive on the weekends. I used to pick up a load on one coast on Friday and have it on the other coast on Monday.
wandy
(3,539 posts)GreenStormCloud
(12,072 posts)maddezmom
(135,060 posts)As for it spreading, kind of doubt it.
dixiegrrrrl
(60,010 posts)I never got a sense of how many sites followed that idea.
PrestonLocke
(217 posts)another_liberal
(8,821 posts)Or was it Glenn Beckkk?
Coyotl
(15,262 posts)This will spread from the kitchen to the buffet at the truck stop maybe!
LongTomH
(8,636 posts)another_liberal
(8,821 posts)That was a real revolution, one which did take place and which did change our society for the better.
The revolution called for in this top post is Tea Party nonsense. It is to be fought by ignorant racists, and is fomented by the wealthy in order to realize their betterment alone. In short: It is nothing but crap.
jmowreader
(50,528 posts)They are telling me independent truckers are going to spend thousands of dollars they don't have and risk losing their rigs, their homes and all their customers so they can go to DC for a meaningless protest against Obama and his healthcare bill?
And they are also telling me a teabagger with a Shutterstock account didn't build this page? You can just smell the fumes coming off the astroturf there.
Hayabusa
(2,135 posts)are nuts...
AAO
(3,300 posts)JDPriestly
(57,936 posts)and teaching Wall Street a lesson by imprisoning bankers who cheated homeowners and investors and then took huge salaries, stock options and bonuses.
As you have done to labor so shall be done to you.
I don't think this truckers' strike will amount to much, but there will be some showing.
Obama should have bailed out Main Street. Wall Street would have taken care of itself.
A series of Republican and Democratic presidents since Nixon have sold out American workers. It is a failure on the part of the DLC, corporate Democrats that labor is not 100% on the side of the Democratic Party.
Gman
(24,780 posts)"Yoga Bear the bikers done it in less than a month they organized over a million and a half bikers to show up in dc, n even know people say it didn't happen I seen it on Fox News with a camera in the sky in a helicopter"
dixiegrrrrl
(60,010 posts)Wonder of wonders...what WILL they think of next?
a camera in the sky...just imagine....
Precisely
(358 posts)melody
(12,365 posts)That'll last as long as any strike by working people. Truckers can't afford to stay idle. And there will always be other people willing and ready to take their loads.
George II
(67,782 posts)TeamPooka
(24,204 posts)"Truckers To Shut Down America
16 hours ago
"My fellow Patriot this effort is to support the truckers in a major shut down of America ion a 3 day strike October 11th thru 13th. Obamacare will be in effect and most people will be ready to take action. No commerce on those days stock up on items that you will need. No banking no shopping no money transactions. It does not matter If a million or 50 roll through DC in this effort. Congress will listen to We The People. Which is remove Obama from office for crimes of treason and misdemeanors. We want Congressional hearing on Benghazi and Seal Team 6. Louis Learner put in jail. No amnesty, remove all Muslims in our government that do not uphold the Constitution. Remove Eric Holder from office for crimes against the people and the Constitution. Last but not least is Fuel prices."
They are against being seen publicly as intelligent people.
George II
(67,782 posts)Nothing like a well written, well thought out, coherent objective, huh?
WCLinolVir
(951 posts)I've been stocking up.
spedtr90
(719 posts)The website explains:
"Congress will listen to We The People. Which is remove Obama from office for crimes of treason and misdemeanors. We want Congressional hearing on Benghazi and Seal Team 6. Louis Learner put in jail. No amnesty, remove all Muslims in our government that do not uphold the Constitution. Remove Eric Holder from office for crimes against the people and the Constitution. Last but not least is Fuel prices."
lunasun
(21,646 posts)Last?? doesn't sound like real truckers to me...
more concerned about Benghazi and Muslims??? I smell teabagger shit
Motown_Johnny
(22,308 posts)If they really wanted to strike they wouldn't do it on a weekend.
I don't think this is going to be a big deal but I could easily be wrong.
DeSwiss
(27,137 posts)fred the red
(2 posts)As an old retired OTR trucker,I must say that this deal smells very fishy to me. I think it has as much to do with that "Kenyan Mau-Mau Socialist" in the White House as it does to any real beef the truckers may have. Conditions for truckers have improved greatly in the last five years, and there are few people who need affordable healthcare more than truckers,who have one of the shortest lifespans of any occupation. There are a lot of racist goobers driving trucks and listening to Rush Limbaugh and Hannerty all day,though.
gopiscrap
(23,725 posts)nashville_brook
(20,958 posts)i "liked" their FB page to get their newsfeed which felt icky. lots of mixed messages in the feed which happens a lot with these ad hoc things -- here's an admin post: This strike is against corruption, Amnesty, Obamacare, Benghazi, Seal Team 6, IRS, Non Americans in government office like Homeland Security, fuel, and anything else you can think of. This country will soon be torn apart terrorism so you won't have to worry about going to work.
it's a HOT MESS of icky.
GreenStormCloud
(12,072 posts)I used to drive 18-wheeler. I have experience with these trucker strikes. They are ALWAYS done by owner-operators, not by company drivers.
For those who are not aware of how trucking works, many trucks are owned by the driver, who leases his truck to a company. Since he owns the truck he has the expenses of running the truck, including maintenance and fuel. He is called an Owner/Operator. He gets paid a set rate that he negotiates with the company he leases to for each mile driven under load, and nothing for empty miles driven. Many O/Os don't know how to manage their expenses and from time to time pitch a fit, call for a general trucking strike, and nothing happens. That is because O/O, who were once the overwhelming majority of truckers are now in the minority. Most truckers are now company drivers who get paid a flat rate for each ordered mile driven. The company bears all the expense of fuel and repairs. I was a company driver as I didn't want the headaches of owning a truck.
Take a look at the truck in the link. That driver is an Owner/Operator, and is massively ignorant. Look at his truck. It is a macho "he-man" type. His biggest expense is fuel, and his biggest use of fuel is in pushing air out of the way as he goes down the road. That idiot has a square radiator, large fenders, front bumper looks like a bulldozer blade, air cleaners hanging from the hood, dual exhaust pipe hanging in the wind, flat rear-view mirrors, and the sleeper isn't streamlined either. He is throwing away tons of money on air resistance so he can look tough.
BTW - That bumper is steel, and that is extra weight he is hauling that he isn't getting paid for. The weight could go for more freight.
Here is a better picture of that type of truck:
Now look at the lines on this truck:
You won't see many company trucks looking like the top one. Mostly companies buy the efficient trucks, and don't waste money creating air turbulence, or dragging around extra weight. The bumper is fiberglass.
These strikes have been happening ever since freight rates were deregulated under Jimmy Carter with the Motor Carrier Regulatory Reform and Modernization Act of 1980. Before then, the Feds set the freight rates, and the rates were so high that a truck could deliver a load from one coast to the other and drive back empty and still make a profit. Everybody was required to charge the same amount. Then deregulation and the truckers had to compete with each other.
At about the same time, the Interstates killed the trucker unions. Before the Interstates most drivers drove the same route, over and over. The Interstates made it irregular routes driving economically possible. That means each load can go somewhere different. So you pick up a load for Chicago, then the next load goes to New Orleans, then to Seattle, then Miami, then Houston, then Dallas, then Los Angeles, then...you get the idea. The driver may not see his home terminal for months, although the company will try to route him by his personal home once a month for about four days home time. That means the drivers working for a company can live just about anywhere in the U.S. That makes trying to organize a union almost impossible. There are no union OTR (Over-the-Road, also called Long Haul) companies. The only union companies are Yellow and ABF who are both LTL (Less-than_Load) companies. Their drivers cover the same routes, over and back.
I have seen these so-called strikes before. There is no leadership to do the negotiating, nor is there anybody to negotiate with. This is purely an O/O effort and will be ignored by company drivers.
dixiegrrrrl
(60,010 posts)loads of perspective for folks like me who have no idea of the ins and outs of trucking.
Thank you so much!!
tblue37
(65,215 posts)I wish I could rec this post. I love when a truly knowledgeable person provides clear information on a subject I know little or nothing about and does so in a way that makes the subject fascinating, which is exactly what you have done.
I especially enjoyed your analysis of the unnecessary costs an O/O creates by choosing a non aerodynamic truck style--and the reasons why an O/O might make such a foolish choice.
You probably could attract a lot of readers with a site full of such interesting and well presented information, since trucking is in so many ways the backbone of our consumer economy, yet most of us know nothing or almost nothing about it.
A HERETIC I AM
(24,360 posts)You don't mention how long ago it was that you drove nor for how long, but I drove my first tractor trailer in 1978 and started OTR in 1987 and it has NEVER been the case in all those years that OO's outnumbered company trucks, nor has it historically been the case.
And the statement "the Interstates killed the trucker unions" is absurd. The advent of the limited access superhighway had nothing to do with declining union membership.
There is also this;
"Take a look at the truck in the link. That driver is an Owner/Operator, and is massively ignorant. Look at his truck. It is a macho "he-man" type" No, YOU take another look at it. It is a picture CLEARLY taken from a damned video game! It's a fucking cartoon!
That does not reduce the fact that the owner of that Facebook page is a nitwit, but I digress.
There are plenty of other inaccuracies or exaggerations in your post that I won't bother with, but suffice to say, you are wrong on the owner operator information.
GreenStormCloud
(12,072 posts)And it sure as hell isn't areodynamic, and strongly resemble the art work from the facebook page. It well documents the problems with the type of truck that so many O/Os like.
Neither you nor I can prove our claim about the previous percentage ofr O/Os in the 1960s and 1970. We both agree that they are in the minority.
There were certainly many different factors in the decline of union influence in trucking. After all, unions are in decline in all private sector jobs. But the ability of a driver to live anywhere in the 48 continous states and still drive for any OTR company makes assembling them in one place for a union meeting damn hard to do.
Nevernose
(13,081 posts)He's got cancer, five children (including a newborn), and no employer-provided health coverage.
OregonBlue
(7,753 posts)before posting on a Democratic board.
dixiegrrrrl
(60,010 posts)esp. #39
OregonBlue
(7,753 posts)of people just assumed it was a "shut down the government" because of GOP corruption. If you didn't go and actually read the comments, you would not have any idea these guys hate the president and the DEMOCRATS.
George II
(67,782 posts)Bake
(21,977 posts)Bake
Enthusiast
(50,983 posts)Really? Fuck that noise.
B Calm
(28,762 posts)nolabels
(13,133 posts)I don't know if it's more of the drivers or the owners but it's hard get these guys shut down. In the last few months it's often been hard to get hold of a newer model truck into the shop for more than a couple hours. Really though, that is good time to strike, it's the busiest time of the year for trucking.
Sunlei
(22,651 posts)dembotoz
(16,784 posts)isn't that supposed to be round bout same time
thugs feeding off of each other
"spontaneous" demonstrations
smell a rat